Step Forward
by Zoja
Summary: Valentine's Day is approaching and Jack decides to use it as an opportunity to show Sue how he feels about her. J/S, pure fluff
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **With the Valentine's Day approaching, I just couldn't stop myself from writing something fluffy about Jack and Sue. My initial plan was a short one-shot, but it all evolved into a little bit longer two-shot, yet i don't think anyone is going to complain ;) This is the first part, I'll publish the second one on the 14th :) Hope you're going to enjoy :)

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Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped upon hearing her friend's news. She was staring at her flatmate in disbelief, wondering if she has just heard a right thing. Yet, the expression on the blonde-haired woman's face was telling her, that she was as serious as only possible. The moment this realisation dawned on her, a very loud, high-pitched squeak left her mouth.

"Oh my God, you're having a date with Jack on the Valentine's Day!" she screamed and before Sue was able to say anything, she found herself trapped in her friend's very tight embrace.

Just like she suspected, Lucy immediately started to plan all the things they needed to do in between getting excited about the fact that Jack Hudson finally took his head out of the sand and asked her out. She was waiting for this day to come ever since Sue announced she decided to turn down the big opportunity in New York and stay with those she cared for. It wasn't like Lucy wasn't aware that a certain dark-haired special agent played a pretty big role in this decision.

It's been a long time since Sue decided to stop pretending that her feelings for Jack Hudson were the kind one had for a friend. She allowed herself to admit it, first to herself and then to her best friend, what was pretty obvious for the whole world. Just a look of those wonderful, expressive brown eyes was able to make her forget about the whole world around her. His smile could brighten her whole day no matter how bad it was and his closeness made her heart beat so quickly that it felt like it wanted to jump out of her chest. It was him, who could chase all her worries away just sitting next to her and holding her hand, or make her feel completely safe just holding her in his arms. There was absolutely no denying that; she was head over heels in love with him.

She also couldn't negate that making up her mind to stay, she didn't hope for something to happen between them. The wistful looks he was sending in her direction whenever they were in the bullpen, which she was very aware of but pretended to ignore, how heartbroken he looked like when she announced she got a promotion, the expression present in his eyes while telling her how much he was going to miss her, before finding out she wasn't going anywhere; it all raised her hopes really high, only so they could get shattered into pieces. It's been almost ten months since she made this decision and things between them were exactly in the same place as back then. It was becoming clear to her – she was never going to find her happiness with him, or any other man for that matter, since her heart was entirely in the possession of one, who didn't want it.

She was usually completely indifferent to the Valentine's Day. She didn't have any reason to either like or dislike it. Her father was pretty much the only man, who has ever bought her gifs for that holiday. Of course, there was also a heart-shaped box of her favourite chocolates waiting on her desk every year, which always brought a smile to her face. There was no letter, nothing what could indicate, who it came from but the way he was 'secretly' glancing in her direction to see her reaction was sending a very clear message, that it was from Jack. And even though Lucy insisted it was his way of showing how important she was to him, Sue didn't try to find any deep reason for it. It wasn't as if she didn't place a neatly wrapped box on his own desk during lunch break, with a small bottle of his – and hers, too – favourite cologne. This year, however, the whole atmosphere was making her feel depressed. It felt like all the blissfully happy couples have gone out and wherever she went, she was bumping into them. How much she wished they could be one of them! And yet, it wasn't going to happen.

At some point in the past, she would have been as excited as Lucy about getting the invitation to spend the day with him, but she wasn't sure she wanted to do that. She was pretty sure it was going to leave her even more heartbroken than she was. She also couldn't understand why he actually asked her for that and the more she was thinking about it, the more convinced she was getting that most probably, he wasn't even aware it was the Valentine's Day they were talking about. Still, she found herself accepting his offer; a part of her absolutely hated it, but she seemed completely unable to say no to him.

"You look like he invited you to attend a funeral! Cheer up, girl! He's going to fall to your feet, we're going to make sure of that!"

"Stop it, Luce, please. You know as well as I do it's not going to happen."

"I wouldn't be so sure about it! Something tells me he finally decided to take matter into his hands and make both of you happy!"

She definitely wasn't pleased, when all she got in response was just a heavy sigh, indicating that Sue decided there was no sense in carrying on this conversation, but not because Lucy managed to convince her. She couldn't tell her that she was absolutely certain Jack planned something really big, because she once caught him making reservations at one of the most popular restaurants in the city and accidentally noticed two tickets to the theatre for a performance, which was to be both signed and spoken, the very same one she knew Sue really wanted to go to, but couldn't get the tickets as they were all sold out within the first day of appearing on the market. She was pretty sure Jack had to pull more than a few strings, and most probably make a couple of promises. They were what made her absolutely certain, that it was Sue, who he had in mind while making all those plans. It was until Sue told her he did ask her to spend this time with him, that Lucy knew he didn't chicken out. Quite the contrary; for her he seemed quite determined and she wished her friend could see that as well.

Sue wasn't very eager to, but she managed to almost drag her to the mall, so they could find a perfect dress for her for the special evening. There was no way Lucy was going to allow her to take any chances; she was going to make sure Sue was going to knock Jack off his feet the moment he saw her and he wasn't going to be able to take his eyes off her for the entire time they were to spend together. It was the least she could do, the rest was up to the two and she could only hope that Sparky wasn't going to feel like being a coward and ruin everything.

Little did she know that Jack was actually facing difficulties to wait until the fourteenth. The thought that Sue was the one he wanted to spend his life with appeared in his mind around the time of their pretended marriage. It was when he got to see what it was like living with her, what it could be if they were closer and a part of him knew that it was exactly what he was looking for. And yet, it was only now that he allowed himself to admit that the perfect woman for him was right in front of him and by finding out all the reasons why they shouldn't or couldn't be together, he was just wasting precious time. If he told her how he felt the first time he realised that she wasn't just a special friend for him, that his feeling exceeded friendly ones, they could be married for some time, maybe even have a child or at least be working on one. Perhaps he was going to make a fool of himself, but there was absolutely nothing what could stop him from telling her how he felt and he only needed to somehow get to the Valentine's Day. It was much more difficult than it seemed; he felt almost desperate and every time their gazes met or she sent him this beautiful smile of hers after catching him staring at her, he had to fight the desire to pull her to one of the rooms and make it clear to her then and there.

"Jack! Come to my office for a moment, please." Dimitrius' voice got him out of his thoughts, when he was just about to enter the bullpen on the next morning. "I wanted to make sure you remember about the annual FBI conference. It's held in Los Angeles this year, you'll have a little rest from all the snow and cold."

Hudson's eyes widened, when he realised what his supervisor was talking about. He had no idea which of his feelings were stronger – a shock, because he completely forgot about it, or a very quickly growing anger.

"You're joking, right?" he asked, trying his best to control his emotions, but his eyes and voice showing them very well.

D. looked at the younger man, dumbfounded. He could feel the anger in his words but not understand it. It has always been Jack going to those conferences for as long as Gans was working with him, what meant quite a few years now. So to say that Dimitrius was surprised by his reaction was slightly an understatement.

"Excuse me..?" he asked with a questioning look in his eyes and Jack snorted.

"Don't act like you have no idea about anything going around! The whole floor is talking only about the fact that I asked Sue to spend the Valentine's Day with me, about all the people I owe now just because I wanted to make it perfect! You were always the one knowing those kind of things, repeating that it was normal because walls have ears here, and now you suddenly go acting like you are oblivious to everything around?!"

"You invited Sue for a date?" he asked, staring at him in disbelief.

Working along the two for almost three years and now being the unit's supervisor, he was very aware of the bond they shared. Just like everyone in the team, he hoped that one day they were going to stop pretending they're just friends and take the one, small step they needed to take to bring the true happiness to each other. Yet, it didn't seem like they were anywhere close to that; it was pretty obvious for him Sue wasn't going to make the first move, and Jack wasn't exactly hurrying to do it, clearly because of the FBI rules as the way he was around Sue didn't leave any doubts he was very aware of his own feelings towards her.

"Yes, I did. I actually wanted to come to you later today to mention to you, that I would like to transfer to another team."

"Today?"

"Yeah. I have to answer, no matter the way it goes. We can't date and work together, and I won't be able to work with her if she doesn't share my feelings. Either way, I need a transfer."

"Right, I understand, but I'm afraid you _have to_ go to this conference. The director believes you are representing our Counterterrorism Division very well and placed you on the list this year, too. I don't think I'll be able to convince him to send someone else, I may be forced to make you go."

"You are not going to do this to me, D. You will not ruin it for me." were the last words Jack said, before turning around and walking out of the room, slamming the door shut.

All his colleagues from the team, with the exception of Sue, heard the conversation – or at least his part, as lowering his voice was the last thing on his mind – and exchanged knowing glances. It really seemed Sparky was very serious about it and they couldn't wait to see, how it was all going to turn out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks for all your comments for part 1! I am really glad you enjoyed it and I hope this one is not going to disappoint you! :D Happy Valentine's Day!

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The closer to the Valentine's Day it was getting, the more he couldn't wait for it to finally come. The solution to solve the matter with going to the conference was found much easier than anyone could have expected. Dimitrius, who knew Jack was very serious about not going and there was no way he could be persuaded otherwise, not even by telling him that he might be fired, talked to the director as quickly as the opportunity presented itself. His condition was clear – Jack wouldn't have to go, if he was going to be able to find a person to go instead of him. Hudson wasn't very happy about that, because nobody was very eager to go there, but he was pleasantly surprised by Myles, approaching him later the same day and offering to go.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked, as it wasn't the first time he was feeling completely unable to understand Leland.

"Tell me, Jack. If I hadn't interrupted you that day on the corridor, when you were convinced Sue was leaving, would you have told her how you feel?"

"I can't say for sure, but I think that yes, I would have done that. Why do you ask?"

"To confirm my belief that without my sudden appearance, you would have told her a long time ago. And that's why I offer to go to this conference in your place, I owe you that much."

He was very shocked by this statement, but also felt very grateful for this offer, which now allowed him to pace anxiously in his apartment, all dressed and ready, waiting for the right time to come, so he was going to leave and go to Sue. At the same time, Sue and Lucy were working together on making Sue ready. Miss Dotson swore to herself that she was going to make whatever was within her power, to make sure Jack was going to completely lose his head for her friend, and it included making her look perfect.

"Jack is going to have a heart attack the moment he sees you!" said Lucy, when she looked at Sue when she was ready.

"I would rather not. I am determined to enjoy the evening!"

"And I'm sure you will!" she said and almost jumped at the sound of the doorbell. "Jack's here!" she stated and ran to open the door.

She grinned at the sight of very elegantly looking Jack – also visibly nervous. She immediately moved to the side to allow him to come in and noticed a very beautiful bouquet he was holding, the most important part of which were the five red roses, known as one of the symbols of love. If her smile could get any wider, it definitely would when she watched his reaction to Sue, when the blonde woman decided to join them.

His eyes widened, when they fell on Sue, and the woman's cheeks were immediately graced by blush under his intense gaze. She was dressed in a dark blue dress, which accented her body in all the right places but at the same time, wasn't very revealing. Her hair was, not surprisingly as it was the way he liked it, falling down her shoulders in beautiful locks, which they worked with Lucy on for the better part of the afternoon.

"Wow…" was the only thing that left his lips and made Sue's blush deepen. It was only a moment later, that he realised he was actually staring at her and pink graced his cheeks a little too. "For you." he said, remembering the bouquet and Lucy, long forgotten by both, rolled her eyes, never stopping to grin.

"Thank you. It's beautiful." smiled Sue, accepting the flowers.

"Here, I'll put them into a vase." offered Lucy and had huge difficulties not to start laughing, when they both remembered she was there. "Shouldn't the two of you be going? You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"

"No, of course not."

Lucy shook her head, closing the door behind them few minutes later. She has never seen Jack so nervous, it just wasn't like him and yet, Sue had this power to make him act like a stammering teenager taking the girl he liked on a date for the first time in his life.

"Let's hope he's not going to chicken out." she said to Levi, who barked in response, as if showing his agreement and a moment later she sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and remote control in her hand, ready to watch a romantic movies marathon and keep her fingers crossed for her two friends.

At the same time, Jack was slowly driving towards the theatre, glancing at the clock every five minutes. As if being horribly nervous wasn't enough, he was now starting to worry they might actually be late because of the very slippery road and falling snow. Whenever they were with each other, they never had any problems with lack of topics to talk about, but this time they were completely silent. Even though usually they could chat about absolutely anything, now he felt as if his mind was absolutely empty. Sue, on the other hand, was convinced his silence was caused by the difficult conditions on the road and didn't want him to get distracted, so she just kept watching familiar buildings around, trying to guess where he was taking her.

Finally, he stopped the car on the almost full parking in front of the theatre and Sue's eyes widened, when he took two tickets out of small closet. He couldn't be taking her to the performance, the tickets were sold out a long time ago not to mention that they have cost a lot, or could he? Before she even realised he got out of the car, he was opening the door on her side and offering her his hand.

"You can't be serious…" she said, when they entered the building and he returned to her after leaving their coats in the cloakroom.

She opened her mouth to continue, but before she was able to start reciting all the reasons she could see for why they shouldn't be there, he placed a finger on her lips, silencing her.

"Don't. Just enjoy, ok?"

He could see uncertainty in her eyes for a moment longer and sighed with relief, when she linked her arm with his and they joined a big group of people walking in the direction of the auditorium. He wasn't surprised by her reaction to the first part of his plan for the evening and he was pretty sure it was only going to happen again when they reach the restaurant, the truth was that he kind of expected it. She was probably going to be ready to tear his head off if she was ever going to find out what he needed to do in order to make all this possible to happen, but the expression on her face, the huge smile and tears in her eyes, after the performance finished made it all very worth it.

"It was wonderful…" she said, when they managed to get through the crowd and walk outside. "But, I didn't think you were a fan of a theatre…"

"Because I am not really a fan… I prefer cinema, but I really enjoyed it today. The performance was amazing and perhaps, I may change my mind…"

It wasn't long before he parked the car again, this time in the spot, where he was always leaving it whenever they were spending time in the city centre. Today, it had a huge advantage that it was very close to the restaurant, which they were to have dinner at and Sue's eyes bulged out, when he stopped in front of it and opened the door for her.

"Are you crazy? It's one of the most expensive restaurants in the city!" she said in a hushed voice when they were shown to their table.

The first thing he noticed was that despite the faint light present in the whole place, creating very nice atmosphere, there were few candles placed on their table, just like Jack asked. They were quickly approached by the waiter; the first thing the he did was to light the candles and only then gave them menus.

"You had a very good idea. Without the additional light, it might have been difficult for me to read you because your lips were a little in the shadow. Still, that doesn't change the fact that you must have lost your mind to bring me here!"

"Allow it to be my way. I just want you to enjoy yourself, not to think about the kind of place, prices and those kind of things."

"But…"

"Sue, _please_." he interrupted, emphasizing the last word.

She only nodded her head, seeing the insistent look in his eyes and sent him a small smile. Despite the fact that she couldn't stop thinking he went a little too far with his plans – they were wonderful and she really loved them, of course, but she believed it was a little too much – she could see, that he really wanted for her to have an absolutely perfect evening and it only made her heart swell with love for him. Nobody has ever done that for her – besides her father, but he didn't really count – and there he was, the man she fell in love with so much, giving her the kind of Valentine's Day she always dreamed about. It wasn't the first time he made her dreams come true, and there was a part of her which hoped, that it also wasn't the last.

The silence and nervous atmosphere between them seemed to go away at one point of the evening. As they sat in the restaurant, savouring the meal and the time they were spending together, chatting, teasing and laughing, they didn't even know when the time has passed. It was soon time for them to leave and head home, and neither one was eager to part just yet. Even though it was a cold evening, he suggested a walk anyway and she didn't hesitate to accept it.

"Thanks for the best Valentine's Day in my life, Jack." she said, smiling at him, watching the snowflakes start to lazily fall down from the sky.

"The pleasure's all mine." he grinned and she could feel the butterflies wake up completely because of his gaze, combined with that famous smile.

His heart was beating like crazy, when he noticed the faint pink colour gracing her cheeks, because of the cold or him – maybe a mix of both, the small smile on her lips and the look in her eyes, so full of warmth and what he hoped was love. The colour on her face deepened, when he gently cupped it with his hand, his thumb tenderly moving over her cheek; he was pretty sure his eyes were simply screaming how much he wanted to kiss her when he moved his face a little closer. Her heartbeat matched his, when she realised that it wasn't just her imagination and he really was leaning to her, his intense gaze making his intention very clear. The way she parted her lips a little, as if in an invitation, moving just a bit closer herself was all he needed and the next thing her mind registered was the feeling of his soft lips on hers.

They knew what it was like, kissing each other, the short moment at Callahan&Merced very well remembered by both of them, and yet this time it was so much different, the sensations so much stronger. That kiss was the result of a situation, the desperate attempt of taking the attention away from what they were really doing in there, even though neither of them could deny that at one point, they did get a little lost in it. This one, however, was all about them and what they felt; it was about two people, completely in love with each other, showing each other the depth of their own feelings towards one another.

"I love you." he said, when she opened her eyes and looked straight into his, after he reluctantly moved away a little, but enough for her to read his lips.

He could see tears gathering in her eyes and the grin, that made its way onto her face made his heart jump. The only response he got were her lips back on his and the feeling of her wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and his own arms immediately find their way to her waist. He was holding her close, not wanting to let her go out of his embrace, not now, not ever, while their lips were engaged in a gentle, tender and loving caress, quickly evolving into much more passionate one. It was only the stronger blow of the wind, sending a very cold air and a growing amount of snowflakes at them, that made them unwillingly part. It seemed that the weather was getting worse at much faster pace than they would want and Jack caught her hand, pulling Sue in the direction of the parking, where the car was standing on, running there as fast as they only could.

"Looks like a blizzard is coming…" she said, panting, when she finally was sitting in the passenger seat of his car and Jack nodded.

"Yeah, let's go before it's going to start for good."

It was clear the ride was going to be long; the weather was getting worse with every passing moment and Jack, just like many drivers, was driving slowly in order to avoid any dangerous situation. He could feel the feeling of anxiety grow inside him, when he realised that his car wasn't exactly behaving the way it should and couldn't prevent the curse from escaping his lips, when he managed to direct it onto the parking space along the street in front of some buildings before the engine went down. He tried to start it again and again, and few more times – without success. The snowstorm didn't want to ease, it was only getting worse.

"We have two choices and neither one is very appealing… We can stay here, wait for it to end with the car getting colder and colder, as the heating is not going to work without the engine, and then walk to my apartment, which luckily is about five minutes away on foot. Or, we can get out now and try to get to my place as fast as possible, with the knowledge it's going to be much warmer and safer there."

"I think the option number two is better… Who knows how long it's going to be before it'll pass, we can as well sit here all night and freeze."

It was a little over three minutes later that they finally reached their destination and practically jumped into the building, where Jack lived, immediately feeling the difference in temperatures between the outside and inside. They were both completely covered in snow and their clothes were slowly getting wet because of its melting. The first sound, that escaped their lips when they stepped into Hudson's apartment was a content moan caused by the warmth inside.

"Running and this kind of dress really don't work well together." she said eliciting a chuckle from him. "I should call Lucy, she's probably worried sick."

"Tell her you're staying here for the night. There's no way I'll allow you out and going home by taxi, since my car broke down, in such a weather."

"But…"

"No buts, you're staying. Call Lucy, I'm going to go, bring you some clothes you can change into."

Sue's flatmate was relieved to hear from her and definitely not disappointed, when she heard she was staying at Sparky's. She couldn't wait to hear all the details about the evening, the more that she could sense in Sue's voice that there actually was something to listen to, but she had to wait until the morning. She wasn't going to complain, though – even though she couldn't wait, the night was still young, after all and it could bring all the more things for her friend to share!

Few moments later Sue went out of the bathroom in one of Jack's too big clothes, but he deliberately chose the smallest T-shirt he had and sweatpants, which could be adjusted. Jack has already changed as well and was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, with two mugs of hot chocolate standing on the small table in front of him. When he saw her, he immediately spread the ends of the blanket, inviting her to join him and warm herself up. She didn't waste much time and soon found herself snuggled to him, with his arms around her and the pleasant warmth surrounding her, while they were watching a movie together. Neither of them actually knew what it was about; Sue's eyes were focused on the screen but her mind was wandering in a completely different place, while Jack's whole attention was on her. She blushed, when she turned her head and caught him watching her intently and smiled, the colour gracing her face only deepening when he moved his face closer and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

"I love you so much, Sue…" he said, making sure she could read his words before he did the same on her cheek.

"I love you too…" she said, fighting the happy tears that threatened to come to her eyes and smiling at him. He reciprocated the gesture before capturing her lips in a gentle, loving kiss, his hand moving up to cup her face.

"You have no idea how much I wished I could hear you say that one day…" he said, grinning.

"I wouldn't be so sure…" she answered, eliciting a heavy sigh from Jack and he noticed a questioning look appear in her eyes.

"I've wasted so much time… If only I gathered the courage earlier…"

"Not you, Jack… _We've_ wasted a lot of time… But, there is no sense in wondering about the 'if only'; the best we can do is make sure we're not going to waste any more of it…"

"It'll be a very practicable thing to do if you don't have anything against dating me…"

"I've dreamt of that more times than I can count, and you think I may not want to be with you? There is another problem, though…"

"If you mean the anti-fraternization rule, it's not a problem anymore. I talked to D. yesterday… He said there is a vacancy on the position, which I may be interested in… If everything goes well, on Monday – Tuesday at the latest – we won't be working together anymore."

"Really?" her eyes as well as lips widened and a small nod from him was all she needed to throw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

He wasn't really prepared for it and found himself being pushed to the lying position by her, but only wrapped his arms tighter around her. His grin was as big as it was humanly possible, his heart was beating wildly in his chest and he was pretty certain he was one of the happiest men in the world, but definitely he was the luckiest one. He had the most wonderful girlfriend he could only think about, and there wasn't a thing what could make him let her go now, that she was his; what they could have was way too precious to let it go.

They both enjoyed the closeness, which lying cuddled to each other was giving them and neither was willing to move. They only adjusted their position, so it was a little more comfortable and started dozing off, the thought that the idea of sleeping on the couch definitely couldn't be counted as a good one somewhere in the back of their minds. Jack smiled, looking at Sue and seeing her sleeping peacefully and tenderly kissed her head. What an idiot he was to hesitate, to try to ignore what they had just because of some rules, which they could find a way to omit. He wasn't very happy about the idea that she wasn't going to spend most of the days with him, but somewhere in the not so distant future, he could see himself coming back home to her, their children and it was definitely going to compensate it. The truth was, that just being with her, holding her in his arms was more than enough, more than he dared to dream about not so long ago!

Whatever the future was going to bring, one thing was certain – it was a beginning of something absolutely wonderful and dozing off, he felt happy that they have finally taken the very much needed and long awaited step forward.


End file.
